This Super-Inexpensive Cycling Jersey Is One of My Favorites

I love finding high-value cycling gear. Sure, I enjoy wearing expensive gear as much as the next rider, but it’s infinitely more exciting to discover a low-cost piece that provides lots of performance for its price—not to mention watching jaws drop when you tell friends how much it cost. And that’s exactly what I found with this cool women’s jersey.

What We Liked: First and foremost, this cycling jersey looks superb. The navy space-dye fabric and the peachy collar lining provide excellent contrast, and the cut is close and slimming. (“Is that Rapha?” a co-worker asked me.)

The 90-percent polyester, 10-percent Spandex fabric is very thin: There’s no insulation, which I actually found to be a positive for borderline days. (I overheat quickly, so it’s nice to have a piece that can keep me covered without the additional warmth.) Also, it’s great for protecting your skin on sunny days without adding bulk (Baleaf says it has 30+UPF). I frequently layered it with a vest if the day was going to be chilly.

The fabric itself is soft and breathable. While I’ve owned pieces that wick moisture faster, this did so at a respectable rate that kept me comfortable, even when I was too warm.

The jersey also has a surprising number of higher-end features. Three pockets line the back, with one smaller zip pocket for keys or essentials; a YKK zipper operates easily; elastic hem grippers hold the dropped back hem in place; and reflective elements help you stay seen.

Watch Out For… The jersey’s sizing is a bit strange. I generally wear between a size medium and large in cycling tops, depending on brand; I wore a medium in this jersey. The sleeves are very long (if I didn’t push them up, they’d hang past my hands), while the torso is on the short side. This odd sizing seems to be consistent across the brand—a co-worker tested a men’s jersey and tights and found similar oddities. Luckily, the funky fit on this one is not a deal-breaker—since the fabric is so thin, it’s easy to scrunch up the sleeves without having them look silly, and the torso isn’t short enough to create any issues. While the stretchy fabric is excellent for fit, it can cause the jersey pockets to sag when loaded up.

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At close inspection, you can definitely find things about this jersey that make it clear that it’s lower-end. The collar is thin, and the stitching isn’t perfect. But for the price, that’s a compromise I’m willing to make. I’ve sent it through the wash at least 15 times at this point and have seen no ill effects on the fabric or construction.

The Takeaway Baleaf’s Women’s Space Dye Long Sleeve cycling jersey is an excellent buy that’s functional, stylish, and a really great deal.

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